An American soldier and an enterprising photographer brave occupied France during World War II to help give a little girl her dream–a family–in this gripping novel from the bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress.
New York City/Paris, 1942: When American model Jessica May arrives in Europe to cover the war as a photojournalist for Vogue, most of the soldiers are determined to make her … a photojournalist for Vogue, most of the soldiers are determined to make her life as difficult as possible. But three friendships change that. Journalist Martha Gellhorn encourages Jess to bend the rules. Captain Dan Hallworth keeps her safe in dangerous places so she can capture the stories that truly matter. And most important of all, the love of a little orphan named Victorine gives Jess strength to do the impossible. But her success will come at a price…
This book (also known as The French Photographer) is another brilliant read. Natasha Lester writes about strong women and her characters are based on real people from history. I love how she so cleverly combines history and fiction, romance, and all things French in a war setting. Another book that you can’t put down. Read this book!
Inspiring heroines, deeply moving words, vivid imagery, and a captivating story line… The Paris Orphan has it all! This beautiful story alternates between past and present giving you glimpses into the lives of two very strong and independent women whose lives eventually become intertwined. Their journeys are unsettling a times, often bringing anger and heartbreak to the pages, but their indomitable strengths push them to persevere.
I absolutely loved every minute of this first time read, it was so addictive! As soon as my eyes hit the first page I couldn’t pry them away, the words took hold, the characters drew me in, and I felt right at home with them, as though I was right beside them experiencing everything first hand. This one has bits of everything to speak to the reader, a touch of mystery to keep you intrigued, drama and action bursting from the pages to drum up excitement, and romance to make the heart skip a beat… it’s a perfectly blended can’t miss read! Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
The Paris Orphan By Natasha Lester.
Jessica May was a beautiful model but she was also a photojournalist which lead her through a lot of scene to shoot. It also touches on women in that time period not being aloud to do and go certain places and things. Jessica meets some wonderful additional characters that added to this story. This story from around the 1942 does parallel into 2005 where we have Darcy Hallworth adventures.
This was a emotional page turner read for me.
[A] splendid, breathtaking novel, full of mystery and passion… A must read!
A beautifully told story that sweeps you away to a time of war, a place where women struggled for equality. Photojournalist Jessica May sets out to photograph the war from a woman perspective, but what she got was a bunch of men who thought the war was no place for a woman, unless you were a nurse. It took a year of hassle but finally women journalist were finally allowed on the front line. Jess attached herself to Dan Hallworth’s battalion over the previous year they became good friends and he more than once help get her out of trouble and always treated her as an equal. Along with Dan and his men Jess also befriended Dan’s adopted niece, Victorine. Victorine was orphaned and taken in by Dan’s brother who died shortly after leaving Dan to take care of her the best way he could in the middle of a war.
2004: D’Arcy Hallworth comes to France to organize and oversee the transportation of a famous anonymous photographer’s collection for its first ever showing in Australia or anywhere else. D’Arcy was hand picked to do the job what D’Arcy finds are the published and unpublished works of her idol, a war time photographer who disappeared after the war and her connection to D’Arcy’s mother and father; a history she never knew.
I loved Jess’s story, it was beautifully told and so realistic. The historical elements, the atrocities of WWII are hard to fathom at times and it takes the photos and the stories which aren’t always pleasant to hear about to remind up this actually happened. Natasha Lester captures that time frame and those events on the front line and military politics concerning women so well and throwing in real people adds to that. Jess and Dan’s friendship blossoms into something beautiful and I absolutely loved their story. D’Arcy on the other hand I thought it seemed rushed. I didn’t quite feel the connection between D’Arcy and Josh as much as I did Jess and Dan and the ending seemed very abrupt and I was a little disappointed with that. Overall, it’s a brilliant story.